Game of Thrones Season 6: The second trailer

HBO have released the second trailer for Season 6 of Game of Thrones, and war is on the horizon. Cersei Lannister (Lena Headey) wills her son to prepare their army at King’s Landing, though what enemy they face is not yet clear. The destruction of Stannis Baratheon’s (Stephen Dillane) forces in Season 5 leaves them largely unchallenged. The most likely threat comes from Daenarys Targaryen (Emilia Clarke), meaning we may see her become more involved in the affairs of Westeros. Meanwhile beyond the Wall the mysterious Night’s King is gathering his White Walkers and other undead for an assault on Castle Black. Winter is finally here and the Night’s Watch will have to make a stand. As Ser Davos Seaworth (Liam Cunningham) puts it “the real war is between the living and the dead”, and it looks like we will see the first major battle of that war this season.

The new trailer also shows the return of characters not seen since Season 4, specifically Bran Stark (Isaac Hempstead Wright) and Asha Greyjoy (Gemma Whelan). This means we will see further development in Bran’s Greensight training and Asha’s attempts to save her brother Theon (Alfie Allen). The television series has now caught up with the books it is adapted from, so not even loyal fans can be sure of what’s coming next. It will be interesting to see how Bran’s quest intersects with those of the many other characters.

We will also receive the answers to two of the biggest questions raised at the end of the last season. The first is what will become of Daenarys Targaryen, who was last seen alone and at the mercy of a new Dothraki horde. The trailers shows her taken captive and stripped naked by Dothraki warriors. Back in Meereen her advisors contemplate what to do next. Their Queen is missing and they are stuck in a city that is rising up against them. Tyrion Lannister (Peter Dinklage) appears to be forming a plan for their salvation that involves Daenarys’ locked up dragons.

The second question is whether Jon Snow (Kit Harrington) is truly dead. The previous season ended with his betrayal and stabbing at the hands of his brothers in the Night’s Watch. According to the Telegraph, who attended an early screening of the first episode of the new season, it begins with the same shot of Snow’s lifeless body. While he may be dead there are plenty of supernatural forces at work in Game of Thrones, and the Lord of Light is one known to be capable of raising the dead. His Red Priestess Melisandre (Carice van Houten) was last seen at Castle Black, close at hand to the fresh corpse, and the Telegraph have hinted that she may play a vital role in this regard.

We also see Arya Stark (Maisie Williams) continuing her training as a blind assassin; Jorah Mormont (Iain Glen) struggling to hide his Greyscale affliction; Jaime Lannister (Nikolaj Coster-Waldau) threatening the High Sparrow (Jonathan Pryce) who imprisoned and humiliated his sister; and Sansa Stark (Sophie Turner) starting to take command after her escape from the clutches of House Bolton. These characters and their developments are just the tip of the icebe…Wall. The trailer manages to include every character we will see returning while doing an excellent job of building up hype. The sixth season of Game of Thrones premieres on April 24th at 9pm. You won’t want to miss it.